


The Little House In Boston

by Celeste38



Category: Being Human (US/Canada), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Friendships, Family, Family Feels, Friendship, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 08:23:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16425848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celeste38/pseuds/Celeste38
Summary: Unbeknownst to the Winchesters, Castiel survived the Leviathans exodus from his body when he disappeared into the waves of the reservoir. But his survival came with a price.When Josh, on a road trip home from a stressful family reunion he couldn't get out of, is forced to turn by that very same reservoir, a fateful meeting occurs and a new housemate takes up residence in the trio's little Boston home shortly afterward.The Winchesters like to say that family doesn't end in blood. But, as Cas soon discovers as he pieces his life back together, it doesn't have to be forged from the battlefield of wars either.(For Supernatural this story takes place after 7X02, for Being Human (US/Syfy) it takes place after 2X10)





	The Little House In Boston

**Author's Note:**

> To make a long story short: I wrote the first draft of the first chapter for this fic back in 2012, and had posted it on FFNet. When I wound up not updating it again for a couple of years, I decided to delete it when I did a purge of fics from my FFNet account. But the story stayed with me in the years that followed, and I still had that first chapter saved on my computer, so a while back I reposted it on FFNet...and then proceeded to never update it again.
> 
> I've been thinking about it a lot lately (while thinking about 'Brave New World' and another Supernatural x-over I've been cooking in my head since the end of season 6 but have yet to start writing chapters for), and decided I'd like to post it here too (after revising it a little) and see what the AO3 crowd thinks of it.
> 
> I can't make any promises of when this will be updated next, but it will get updated eventually. So, if you like it, please let me know in some way (smash your keyboard, leave a gif or pic, leave a comment, or hit that cute little kudos button) so I'll know there are readers here who would like to read the update when it rolls around down the road.
> 
> Thank you, and enjoy!

The morning sun didn't shine in the sky for too long before its bright rays rained down on Josh's upturned face, tearing him out of his dead slumber.

The familiar feel of dirt and blood coating his body helped to remind him why he was outside in the first place, and he groaned in his discomfort while he stretched out his sore muscles. Would it kill his wolf-side to restrain itself once in a while? For just one night, could the untamable beast simply run wild and not get itself covered in gore and filth before settling down for its next month-long sleep?

" _No, of course not..._ " He mused grumpily, keeping his eyes closed for just another moment longer. " _It would make the horror-show that is now my life a little more bearable, and god knows I'm not allowed to have that!_ "

The typical sounds of birds chirping away and leaves rustling in the light breeze helped soothe nerves as the young man reluctantly opened his eyes, but that tranquility was short-lived as soon as he turned his head to glance at the blurred mass he had noticed beside him. He blinked, rubbed his eyes and, accustomed to finding half-eaten corpses of deer or the occasional bear next to him the morning after a turn, prepared for the worst. It took him a moment to register what he was seeing.

"Holy shi-!"

Bolting upright and instinctively scooting back a little, dread coiled within Josh as he stared down at the body. This time, it was human.

"...please, tell me I didn't kill someone last night..."

Upon closer inspection, he realized there was no blood on or around the man's body. The blades of grass near the stranger's mouth stirred lightly every few seconds, indicating he was breathing fine. And when Josh turned him over, he found no signs of injury or internal bleeding. The man was simply unconscious.

Rational thought started trickling back into Josh's mind as he made these realizations, and relief started to snuff out the anxiety that had claimed him upon his initial discovery of the stranger.

That is, until he noticed the man's nakedness and remembered that he, too, was still sitting there in his birthday suit. The difference being that the stranger was relatively clean-looking, while Josh was still covered in the evidence of his wolf-side's exertions from the night before. And since they were presently sitting next to a reservoir, Josh had no way of cleaning himself up before the man woke up. He wasn't about to abandon him there.

How was he going to talk himself out of this one?

"Hey, uh...sir? Can you hear me? Are you okay?" As he shook the man's shoulder, Josh took a quick glance at his surroundings. Hoping that it was still early enough in the morning that no one was hiking yet, and that the rangers posted around the reservoir and the protected land around it weren't already making their rounds. He had a nagging feeling that his window of escape was narrow and closing quickly. "I, uh, hate to be a nag but...you kinda need to wake up. Like, right now! We can't stay here much longer if we want to avoid trouble and lots of hard-to-answer questions."

An exhausted groan answered him as the stranger shifted beneath his fingertips. Tired blue eyes blinked open to meet his own. They soon grew wide with alert confusion.

"Heh...hi?" Despite being an expert at being trapped in awkward situations due to his 'condition', Josh still struggled with how to talk himself out of them. "Look, uh...I'm just as curious about you, as you probably are about me." He quipped as he offered his hand to the man to help him onto his wobbly feet. Hoisting the stranger up, he took hold of his shoulder again to help him remain steady. "But if we stick around here, out in the open like this, someone's eventually going to spot us."

He looked around again, and sniffed at the air. "I recognize this part of the reservoir from yesterday when I was scouting this place out. My stuff should be nearby, unless someone found them. So...Why don't we head there first while you clear your head, and then we can try and sort this all out? Okay?"

Remaining silent, most-likely a bit disoriented by the whole situation, the stranger merely nodded his head in agreement. He followed Josh's lead without protest or questions as they made their way into the woods, while the younger man started letting his own troubled thoughts plague him.

Had he wounded or killed any humans during his wild night in the unfamiliar woods?

Was his car still going to be right where he had left it when it broke down the day before?

Was he going to find a ticket on the windshield?

Was he going to be able to find someone with a working phone to call for help?

Was this stranger he had stumbled across really okay?

Josh glanced again at the man walking beside him, as the only logical theory he could think of popped into his mind. It bothered him that he didn't put two and two together back at the reservoir; he of all people should have known better and recognized the signs. "Was this your first time turning?"

A look of puzzlement crossed his companion's face as the man returned his gaze. Tilting his head the way a curious dog or cat would do. "I don't understand what you mean by that."

"Oh, um…" Josh was surprised by how gruff the other man's voice was, but the stranger's confusion was to be expected if last night really was the first time he had run wild. After all, it had taken him a while to warm up to the outlandish idea after his first change. "Well, what do remember about last night?"

"Nothing."

"Okay…" Perhaps that wasn't the best question to open up the discussion with. Josh didn't always remember the experience of turning if he wanted to be honest with himself. "…Nothing wrong with that. That's actually pretty normal, so you shouldn't worry about it! Uh, let's see...It might be better if I go a little further back than that, actually. So, uh, did you happen to get attacked by some kind of animal the past couple of nights?"

"I…" There was a pause as uncertainty crept its way into his companion's tone. "That's strange...I don't remember anything from before being woken up on the shore."

This made Josh stop in his tracks, completely baffled. That was not the sort of answer he had been expecting to hear. "What do you mean? You don't remember anything, as in, you don't remember who you even are?"

A frown creased the stranger's face as the realization dawned on him,"...yes, that seems to be the case."

" _Oh, wow. This can't be happening. He's gotta be screwing with me or something, because that's just too cruel to be true._ " But those expressive blue eyes told Josh otherwise. He could read them just as easily as he suspected this unusual man could read his. They were full of fear and unease now, and they bore into him in an incredibly overwhelming manner. Studying him, assessing him, and silently beseeching him for answers that he wasn't sure he'd be able to provide.

"This turn that you referred to…" The man began to question, breaking eye contact and composing himself surprisingly well for someone who seemed to have lost everything. "…is it common for the individual to experience this sort of memory loss?"

"No." Josh was forced to admit, feeling even sorrier for the stranger. "Not in my experience anyway."

"I see." Disappointment flickered momentarily across his companion's face, although he did his best to contain his sure-to-be-boiling inner turmoil. Then, to Josh's surprise, he began to walk forward again. "Is your camp much further ahead?" He had apparently opted to focus on their original goal, instead of his own unfortunate dilemma.

"Uh…no. I think it's just another half a mile or so."

They continued on in silence. The stranger keeping his eyes trained straight ahead, while Josh stole glances at him that varied from lingering curiosity, to pity, and then genuine concern.

What was going to happen once they found Josh's things anyway?

If this had indeed been the man's first time changing, as Josh suspected it very well could be, then there was probably no backup supply stashed anywhere in the forest for him to use. " _He looks like he's about the same size as me…_ " Josh was willing to re-wear his clothes from the day before if that was the case. He really wanted to help the guy, even if it was as something as small as giving him some spare clean clothes.

But he knew that wasn't going to be enough…

"I really don't feel right about going back home while you're stuck out here wondering who you are." Josh confessed when he spotted the tree he had buried his bag of things under, walking a little faster in his eagerness to clean up. "So…why don't you come home with me?"

It was the stranger's turn to look surprised. "We've only just met, why would you offer to do such a thing?"

"Because you could use the help," Josh replied. He thought back on his early days as a werewolf; before Aidan had befriended him, back when everything had gone so horribly wrong. He remembered how badly he had needed the help then, and knew he would have appreciated getting it even if it had been from a complete stranger. "…and god knows you need it more than I ever did."

The other man remained silent at first, keeping his eyes locked fiercely with Josh's for what felt like an eternity. And then he blinked, and time resumed with its normal flow. "Your hospitality is very generous..." His face softened, and a small yet grateful smile emerged. "Thank you."

The smile was returned. "That's what friends are for."


End file.
